Open Society Foundations

Started by the philanthropist George Soros in the mid-1980s to help countries make the economic and social transition from communism, the Open Society Foundation aims to "implement a range of initiatives to advance justice, education, public health, and independent media." Asia is the focus of this portion of the website, and the material is divided up into "News & Announcements", "Events", and "Publications & Articles". Visitors can keep up with the happenings of the site via an RSS feed or by subscribing to their newsletter. One of the featured stories on the homepage is a recording of a discussion about the book "A Rope and a Prayer", by an American journalist who was kidnapped and taken around Afghanistan and Pakistan. There are several videos visitors can watch that are highlighted on the homepage, including "Cambodia A Quest for Justice", "India and Europe Trading Away Access to Medicines", and "Russia's HIV Care Must Center on Drug Users". Finally, visitors can read "Dining with Dictators" a blog entry about the European Union's "willingness to meet with Central Asian Tyrants."